[AccessD] Change Drive letters on USB

[James Button]

In the  disc management panel there are 2 sets of entries  

Top one is list format similar to file explorer

Bottom one is graphics showing the layout of partitions on drives ( OK devices) 

The bottom one is what to use.

And  the partition will need to be one that windows recognises – NTFS, or a variant of FAT

If the partition ( or unallocated space) has not been formatted ( or has had the partition deleted)

then the partition will need to be created – as in allocated some space.

And then the partition can be formatted  and then ( well as part of the formatting process) have a partition letter assigned

 

JimB 

 

From: Arthur Fuller <fuller.artful at gmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, March 3, 2022 8:55 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Cc: James Button <jamesbutton at blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Change Drive letters on USB

 

Thanks for the start, Jim, but I can't find "Change the drive letter and paths.) I'm running windows 10 if that matters.

 

On Thu, Mar 3, 2022 at 3:27 PM James Button via AccessD <accessd at databaseadvisors.com <mailto:accessd at databaseadvisors.com> > wrote:

Easily done 

With the device plugged in  
Use 
This PC
Manage
Manage Storage
Disc management
Select the partition ( there may be more than 1 on the device)
Right click on the graphic entry  (below the list of partitions)
Select 
Change drive letter and paths
                       ( paths is where you can "attach" the partition to an
empty folder in an existing NTFS partition  and address it as if it were a
folder of that partition.)
 Select a different letter 
- the OS will (probably) allow access to the partition using both the original
and the new letter  until you eject the device and re-connect it.

That ID will (probably) be recorded in the OS and on the partition so the new
letter will (probably) apply to whatever device you plug it into.

Note - if the letter is already in use for a plugged in (or internal) device or
partition, then the OS will (probably) assign the first unused letter from C: on
through to Z:


It may be a good time to consider adding that partition letter to any AV
exclusions and search exclusion list
You can only add a partition (or folder) if the device is actually attached and
recognised by the OS

And - 
Considering recognised -
Windows will only allocate letters to partitions with file management structures
it recognises - 
Various versions of NTFS and FAT (including ExFAT - for windows and mac usage) 

A clue to that is the  "Safely Remove Hardware" facility will show the device,
but not the partition.

Also - 
CD's and DVD's can have multiple partitions  on them - but Windows will only
recognise the first  - for booting DVD's the OS (usually a version of Linux)
will boot from the primary partition, and then (may) show the other partitions
on the device
That is basically how bootable windows installation discs are made - the
partition images are created in an ISO image  of the 'stuff' to be written to
the drive, and than that ISO is written as an image rather than as a set of
partitions. 

JimB


-----Original Message-----
From: AccessD
<accessd-bounces+jamesbutton=blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com <mailto:blueyonder.co.uk at databaseadvisors.com> > On Behalf Of
Arthur Fuller
Sent: Thursday, March 3, 2022 7:50 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com <mailto:accessd at databaseadvisors.com> >
Subject: [AccessD] Change Drive letters on USB

I have several USB thumb drives. Is it possible to change their drive
letters? I tried swapping positions on the hub but that didn't work.

-- 
Arthur
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-- 

Arthur